Method of treating decayed spots and cavities in living trees.



I. F. COLLINS. METHOD OF TREAIING DECAYED SPOTS ND CAVITIES IN LIVING TREES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1917.. 1,270,010

Patented Jung 18, 1918.

UNITED STA'rEsi-arnnr OFFICE,

JAMES FRANKLIN comme, orrnovinnncii, RHODE ISLAND.

' ,METHOD OF TBEATI-NG DECAYED SPOTS AND CAVITIES N LIVING TREES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJ une.1i8l,n19r18.

Application lcd larch 2, 191'?. Serial No. 157,257.

. (IJEDIGATED TO THEIPUBLIC.)

To all whom t mcg/concern.'

' Be it known that 1, JAMES FRANKLIN LcLLrNs, a citizen of the United States of nierica, and an employee of the Department ci Agriculture 4of l the said United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence, State of Rhode Island, {Wliose jpost-@flics addressl is Providence, Rhode Island,)havef-invented a new and useful Method oi Treating Decayed Spots and Cavities in Living Trees. v

vThis application is made. under the act of liar-cli 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat.,`625),

.nd the invention herein describedand claimed may be used' bythe vGoiv'ermnern; of

the United States, or any of its oiiicers or employees, inthe prosecution of Work for tl Government, lor any person in the any royalty thereon.

The ob] ect,

characteristic features and scope ci iny invention will be more readily of a cai/"ity filled according to niy method, efepting that the outer surface et the .iillnot yet been Waterproofed. se Fig. Q. is a cross-section oi the trunk shown in Fig. l, made at the point indica-ted by the broken line, X-K.

Fig. 3 is crosssection of vanother trunk through the middle of a cavity, showing :"1 iotlicr convenient method of placing the 'ps of wood.

1g. is a cross-section of a trunk 'L c'h the middle of a cavity which has iartially iilled with strips of Weed. 5 is a cross-section of a trunk gli the middle of a' cavity, showing: convenient method or" placin the es ci 'wood in a partially illed cavity.

6 is crosssection of a trunk throng i the middle of a cavity, showing a 'hed of beltinglieavy strips, or several strips, of Wood 'to the sides of a cavity by ineens of metal bolts,

For the sake of clearness in showing the strips of Wood the nails, screws, staples, or bolts used for fastening the strips of Wood in the cavity have not been indicated 'in Figs. to 5, inclusive.

United States, Without payment to me of In all the figures "WA represents the wood, and B the'bark of the living tree.

Mv method consists in filling the cavity -Witlf strips of wood of any convenient thickness, length or sha e,Y to it the irregularities of the cavity eit er Witli or WithoutA bending the strips. The stripsrst put in place'are nailed, stapled, screwed, bolted or otherwise fastened to the Waterprooied `Walls of the cavity and eachsucc'eeding strip or layer of strips is-Waterprooled and nailed or otherwise fastened to those `v`already `in v place.' The joints between strips areshovvn" at A and G in Figs. land 2. The numbers.

' to 15 on the Wood strips in Figs. 2 and 3 represent the order in which these strips are nailed or fastened in place. These strips i of Wood may be virripregnated With creosote or seine other Wood preservative before being fastened in place. Before being Waterproofed the strips of wood may be trimmed to fit 4the particular part of the cavity in 75 which each is to be placed. The'interstices between strips may be filled, as the work progresses, with any suitable plastic or adhesive substance, such as asphalt, tar, pitch, paint, elastic cement, or shcllac'. Large 80 spaces or vinterstices between or beneath strips may be filled with a thick or pasty inass of suitable plastic or adhesive sub' stance such asasphalt, tar, pitch, paint or sonic other similar preparation niixedvvith sawdust, Wood pulp, eXcelsior, shavings, or even sand, burlap, rags, straw, or bran. Several such places are indicated by the lthicker places in the lines in Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive.

In long` cavities the nails, staples, screws, or bolts in the strips, and the strips themselves, may beso piaced in the cavity that at least one close or tight joint (across which there are no nails, staples, screws, or bolts) 95 extends lengthwise' nearly or quite the Whole readily open as the Woodyparts vof the runk regularly shrink or contract during periods of frees/.ing weather, and thus prei ve tA theiilling itselt' from breaking away or separating from the wall of the cavity under` the conditions mentioned, or under conditions similar thereto. ln narrow Cavities only one such joint is recommended, but in wider and shallower cavities two or even more sach joints; may be better than one. l'nder ch comlitions it may be advisable to bolt the ends of longr fillings as indica'ed below.

The strips of wood .may extend the entire length of the cavity or in undercut cavities may be divided into sections, depending upon which torni of strip may be best adapted ttor the condition ot the particular cavity. Tl cavity in ley may be placed in the any order or position in which they can be placed or handled to the best advantage, of course varying more or less with differently shaped cavities. Each succeeding strip should be so placed as to bind or lock those below it in place. They may he trimmed to gt, roughly the. portion of the cavity in which they are to be placed, or they may be relatively thin strips which can he bent and readily nailed in position; the former usually will be best in short cavities and the lat ter best in long or undercut cavities. Creil erally some such arrangement of the strips as, that shown in section in Figs. 2% and 3 will be found most advantageous in the. ordinary cavity, as some such general arrangement this usually permits greater freedom in driving 'the nails or staples or in placing the screws or bolts in position through the strips The exposed edges or' the strips at the suiiace of the filling may be smoothed Oli at the line ot' the cambium, as shown in Fig. 2; or they may be trimmed back to a line behind the cambiuin and one, tivo, or more, thin strips ofvvood ot the proper thickness to bring it to vthe cambium line nailed, stapled, or bolted over them to form a surface layer, as shown in Fig. 3.

Y Finally the exposed surface of the filling may be thoroughly watorprooted with tar, paint, asphalt, or sonic other suitable substance. ln long shallow cavities where there is considerable sway to a trunk or branch it may he necessary to place a bolt through the filling near each end, and perhaps elsewhere, in order to prevent the ends working loose Abefore they become covered by the new growth of wood and bark. Under such conditions an ordii'iary bolt passing through the filling and trunk, rx' a coach bolt passing through the lilling and into the trunlc. may he used. lilither type ot bolt should pass through a Wide metal washer. or broader plate of .metal which extends ixiarliailj." or entirely across the outer face ol the iilling. 'The bolts vshould not pass across one ol' the annulled joints, such as .li-C .in lfig. and

in filling the cavity a superimposed space ot an inch or more should be left free of nails .in each strip at the point where each bolt is to be located. At these points a bit may be used to bore the holes for the bolts through the completed filling without encountering any nails. The best position for such a bolt is indicated by the broken line Z*Z, in

A niodilication of the method described above, and one which at times serves all practical purposes even better than the one already described, although it may .not lool;` as neat and finished, consists essentially in partially lilling the cavity with strips or blocks of wood in some such manner as described above. Three methods of placing these strips are indicated in section in Figs. 4, 5, and G. n allcases the outer edges of the strips should be trin'nned .at the cambiuln line so that they extend from the cambiiun at least an inch out across the original cavity, continuing the general contour of the woody part of the rank, as shown at D in fl, and o. lll/*hen the new growth of wood and bark has grown over the outer edges of these strips, new strips can be put in place, as indicated by the dotted lines E in Figs. et, 25, and 6. F ig. 6 represents a method of bolting tivo or more strips to the sides of a. cavity by i'neans of double-headed or chamered iron-0r steel bolts (F The bark is cut away just enough to allow the washer under the nut at the outer end of the bolt to be screwed up firmly against the wood, in order to draw t-he strips within the cavity lirmly against its sides by moans of the chamfered end of the bolt. At times it may be advisable to reverse the ends of the bolt and have the nut inside the cavity.

rlfhe above described methods of lilling cavities overcome at least two of the most serious defects in cement filled cavities, and at least the main defect in niost ot' the asH phalt filled cavities. The advantages of the herein described method over cement are (l) the slight flexibility ot' the filling under strain of swaying trunk and branches, a liexibility very similar to that of the tree itself; (2) the greatly reduced possibility oi the filling pulling or breaking away from the `vall of the cavity and thus allowing water, deca y-1n'odiiciug germs, insects, or debris to enter between filling and wall of cavity. The main advantages ot the herein described method over many cavities lilled with asphalt mixtures, or similar plastic substances, is the practical impossibility for the filling to drop away by its own Weight from the top ot' the :avity, when the h ait of summer or the hot rays ol the. sun soften the lilling. nu advantage ot' the longitudinal iointfor juncture (when open) that rain water readily-runs ont. which is not usually the case with transverse joints or unctures,

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention Wili be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of this method may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim:

l. A method of filling a cavity in a tree which consists in securely fastening to the i back and sides of the cavity strips of Wood arranged longitudinally of the tree and of a length equal to that of the portion of the cavity in which they are placed, filling the remainder of the cavity With like strips with their adjacent sides and ends overlapping and binding them securely in place.

2. A method of fiiling a cavity in a tree which consists in securely fastening to the back and sides of the cavity Waterprooed or antiseptic strips of Wood arranged iongitudinally of the tree and of, a iength'equai to that of the portion of the cavity in which they are placed', filling the remainder of the cavity with like strips with their adjacent sides and ends overlapping and binding them securely in place.; the joints or spaces between the strips are iiled With a suitable Waterproof and antiseptic plastic and ad hesive substance, or a mixture of such suhstances.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature in the presence of tivo subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES FRANKLIN COLLINS.

Witnesses:

H. O. HOWARD, ROBERT C. Moons. 

